.
Chapter Five
.
.
"Dad, we're gonna be late!" Kazuya shouted as she banged on the basement door. Her father, who hadn't slept much the night prior, hurried up the stairs at her loud beckoning.
"Your mother said to be on time, not leave half an hour earlier," he sighed, pulling his goggles off his eyes until they sat comfortably on his forehead. The cobalt mass on his head was nearly floating in the air from all the surrounding static, which he didn't seem to notice. When he reached the top of the stairs, his steps faltered, "Woah, what's with the new look?"
"New school new me, I guess," Kazuya ran the black box-dyed streak through her fingers. She was glad her mother allowed her a bit of creative expression the night before. They both knew she meant emotional outlet. Coloured hair was more manageable than smashed mirrors and hole-punched walls, after all.
"Just don't let this new you throw another kid through any more walls and I'll be happy," Taigen smiled as he locked the basement door behind him. Kazuya stared at the thick metal with curious eyes then shook her mind free of all thoughts that didn't pertain to school.
"I heard from Hitoshi that the regular entrance exam was insane. He didn't even pass," she noted while bouncing towards the door. All her enthusiasm made her look like a toddler in the toy aisle.
"Don't think you'll have it easy just because you got in on a recommendation. We work for what we want in this family," her dad spoke sternly as he grabbed the keys. When Kazuya merely nodded in response, he held her face in both his hands so she had to look at him. "You'll take this seriously, understand?"
"You sound like Mom," she scoffed. Taigen smiled lovingly then placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"She's a smart woman. Objectively terrifying but smart," he explained with a daydreamy sigh.
"You're hopeless, Dad," Kazuya sighed before exiting the house. Hoping to avoid another uncomfortable conversation, she slumped into the passenger seat and began scrolling through her phone. Of course, her dad being her dad, refused to ride in silence.
After twenty agonizing minutes of listening to him belt out radio pop song lyrics, she saw the front gates of UA come into view. Kids were pouring into the courtyard with some bright and some terrified faces. First day jitters weren't something she struggled with, but she did have this sinking feeling that finding her class was going to be a pain in the ass. The school was huge!
"I know it's intimidating, but remember what I said," Taigen placed his hand over his daughter's and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"The thing about Mom being terrifying?" Kazuya scrunched her brows, earning a blank stare in response.
"Why would that be relevant in this situation?"
"You're the one who said it."
"Damn it, Kazuya, I meant the working hard part," Taigen huffed. His daughter leaned across the seat and planted a quick peck on his cheek.
"I know, Dad. I'm going to make you proud, just wait." Her dark eyes glimmered with determination, mimicking the look her sister often wore. When she turned away from her father, her expression fell into a hardened stare.
"You already have, Spitfire!" her dad called before she stepped out of the car and shut the door.
It was still early, and many kids were catching up with their friends in the courtyard. Realising that finding Shinso would be more difficult than she cared for at this hour in the morning, Kazuya began her search for her classroom.
Ten minutes of exploring the halls (and three almost-but-not-quite mental breakdowns) later, the door labelled 1-A came into view. She stupidly wondered if the few kids inside were her classmates, then reminded herself it would be weird if they weren't…Although, she rechecked the room number just to save herself some embarrassment.
"Hello there! I am Iida Tenya from Soumei Academy," greeted a tall, well-mannered boy with hair similar to hers. Kazuya stared at his bowing form for an awkward beat then shook away her dumbfounded expression.
"Uh, Imai Kazuya. Nabu Middle School. It's nice to meet you," she put on her brightest smile in hopes of hiding her apprehension. A glint of recognition briefly flickered to life in her new classmate's scarlet eyes and she immediately knew what was coming.
"Imai? Are you perhaps related to Doctor Imai Taigen?" he asked with a raised brow. Her father wasn't as popular as the heroes that ran the city, but his work advancements had given him enough publicity that any person who read the news would have at least heard his name.
That being said, she didn't think anyone her age would've figured it out this quickly.
The Iida boy's knowledge made more sense when she looked down at the engines on his legs. There might have been someone her dear old dad helped with a similar quirk, although she couldn't remember.
"Uh, sorry…I have no clue what you're talking about," she shook her head and wormed her way out of the conversation.
It didn't take being a scientific genius to know that if people found out her dad was some big shot, assumptions would be made. That's how it went in middle school. They'd see her father has money and jump to the conclusion she gets such high grades because she paid for them. She wasn't going to go through that again.
After searching the board for her name, Kazuya found her assigned seat was the third chair in the third row. Neat-o. She sat down and watched more students trickle into the room as time went on. Some interesting characters caught her eye, but her first conversation was with the redhead that sat in front of her.
"This school is insane, huh? It took me twenty minutes to find my class," his shark-like teeth shone through his friendly grin. Kazuya kept her dozens of questions to herself and returned the gesture.
"They might as well give us maps," she chuckled lightly, then paused. Stop laughing at your own joke, dingus. The boy still laughed despite her crappy humour then turned around fully to outstretch his hand. When she hesitantly shook it, she noticed his eyes glance down at her gloves.
"I'm Kirishima Eijirou. Nice gloves by the way," he noted as she retracted her hand.
"Imai Kazuya. Thanks," Kazuya hid both her hands under the desk when he let go, folding them in her lap meekly.
"And I'm Kaminari Denki. It's a pleasure," came the smooth introduction of the boy seated to the left of Kirishima. The yellow-haired boy smugly walked over and leaned against Kazuya's desk with his arms crossed. She raised a brow, fascinated by his bluntness. Faking ignorance was what she should have done, but this was too great an opportunity to let it pass.
"Oh, I'm sure it is, Darling," her lips twitched upwards. She learned how to utilise the siren eyes the women of her family had been gifted with from watching Kagami but never realised how fun it could be until now. Her lashes lowered as she watched her blonde classmate with intrigue. The boys looked at one another with large, startled eyes.
"You — " Kaminari paused when he faced Kazuya again and found that her innocent doe-eyed look had returned. Her head tilted like a confused puppy.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Kaminari. I think we'll get along nicely," she smiled cheerfully.
"If you're just here to make friends then you can pack up your stuff now."
Where the hell did — Is that a sleeping bag? Kazuya felt a bead of sweat roll down her brow at the yellow bean lying on the floor. Everyone else seemed just as shocked as they all fell eerily silent.
"It took eight seconds for you all to shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that," the man in the yellow cocoon droned as he unzipped the bag and rolled out of it. His dark hair, clothing, as well as the bags under his eyes gave Kazuya the impression that he didn't sleep much. He kind of reminded her of her Dad. If she squinted really hard.
"Hello, I'm Aizawa Shota, your teacher," he nodded towards his name written up on the board. "Right, let's get to it. You'll find one of these under your desk. Put it on and meet me outside," Aizawa ordered while holding up a blue tracksuit. Lifting the top of her desk, Kazuya pulled out her uniform and made her way to the locker room with the other girls.
She hadn't realized until now how unprepared her body was for physical training. She had little muscle thanks to the years of not being allowed to participate in p.e. When her quirk could throw anything she held at any given time, her parents didn't think it was a good idea to allow her to hold heavy weights. That didn't stop her from sneaking shameful glances at her female classmates every once and a while. Don't even get her started on how the boys were built like literal Greek Gods.
Why is everyone in my class hot…?
"Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit," Aizawa glowered at the kids with his tired eyes. Kazuya gave him kudos for his intimidation tactic but it felt unwarranted. Half the class already looked either scared shitless or confused.
"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives, but you never got used to your quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." The end of her teacher's rant sounded oddly like her father's ramblings. Once again, she wondered if Kagami would have understood this any better.
Aizawa went on to ask a blonde spiky-haired fellow named Bakugou about his previous test scores. Apparently, this kid scored highest in the Entrance Exam, which caught Kazuya's immediate attention.
As a student who got in on recommendation, she didn't have to take the Entrance Exam, but she heard plenty about it from Shinso. However, that didn't stop her from wondering what kind of power this blonde porcupine on steroids possessed.
An answer was provided when Bakugou planted his foot on the ground and threw the Aizawa-provided baseball with unholy might. The fiery shockwave from the ball quelled her curious thoughts instantly as she watched the ball leave the fucking atmosphere.
"That…was awesome," Kirishima mumbled, jaw hanging open slightly.
Kazuya swallowed hard, "Unbelievable is more like it."
"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as heroes," Aizawa went on to explain, pulling out a handheld device that was tracking the distance the ball travelled.
"Seven hundred and five metres, are you kidding me?" Kaminari's face blanched at Bakugou's result. Some students began to note their excitement while others glanced around in uncertainty.
"I wanna go! It looks fun!" shouted a girl to Kazuya's left with pink skin and hair. This must have set something off in their new teacher because he furrowed his brows in annoyance.
"So this looks fun, huh?" his words instantly quieted the small crowd, "You have three years to become a hero. Do you think it's gonna be games and play all the time? Idiots."
"Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately."
Right out the bat, huh? I guess it can't be helped. This is the best hero school in Japan. Kazuya stared down at her gloved hands, clenching them into tight fists. If she was going to find her sister, she needed the help of this school. Control issues be damned, there was no way in hell she'd simply let herself get expelled.
"Holy crap, this is insane," Kirishima grumbled from beside her. She laughed awkwardly while silently praying.
There were complaints from the kids around her and a lecture about how the world isn't fair, courtesy of Aizawa. Even so, when presented with the chance to walk away, the teacher's hazing didn't seem to scare off any of the new students. Satisfied with his intimidation, he went on to explain how the first test of the day would be administered. A fifty-metre dash would be timed by a machine with quirk use encouraged.
Kazuya watched duo after duo run until she found her group readying up by the starting line. A boy with a bird head and a girl who had earphone jacks dangling from her earlobes stood on either side of her, preparing to run. Uneven class numbers made her group the only trio.
When the timing robot sounded the signal, the cobalt-haired girl pulled off one of her gloves and tossed it across the fifty-metre line. A sapphire aura coated its match and Kazuya was tugged towards the end of the track like a ragdoll. A surprised yelp escaped her lungs as her quirk performed a little too well, pulling her so quickly that she nearly ran into Kaminari.
"Woah, cool! How did you do that?" the yellow-haired boy watched her skid to an eventual stop. Dust kicked up behind her shoes that dug into the grass beneath her. Kazuya shrugged with feigned confidence, holding her hand out in hopes of attracting her glove back.
Much to her surprise, her powers followed her instructions and drew the illuminated object closer. A little too close, maybe, as it smacked her in the face before dropping into her hand.
"Oh, you know…skill," she responded to the previous question while smiling through her internal screaming. Kaminari and Kirishima laughed it off, relieving her uncomfortable tension.
Turning to see her time, she found herself accidentally looking directly into a pair of heterochromatic eyes; stone-cold grey and eerily familiar blue like a brewing thunderstorm. Their owner turned away sooner than she would have liked, causing her to frown.
"Five-point-eighteen seconds. Not bad," Kirishima nudged her arm with his elbow. Kazuya nodded distractedly with a glassy film over her eyes. Aizawa instructed them to follow him to the gym, and she immediately snapped herself out of whatever mental stupor she put herself in.
The next tests put the teen in an increasingly sour mood: she couldn't use her quirk to help with grip strength, her push ability went haywire during the standing long jump and slammed her into a wall, the side steps just made her dizzy…It was all so physically taxing.
"Imai," Aizawa finally called her name for the ball toss. By now, her hands were cramping and her ego had been beaten to a bloody pulp.
"Bitch looks dead," scoffed Bakugou as she passed. He went ignored as she dragged herself into the circle, except for a few unamused glares given to him by classmates.
"Whenever you're ready," Aizawa nodded. She took a deep breath and slipped off her right glove.
Anger issues ran rampant in the Imai family, mainly because of her mother, so it made sense that Kazuya did the most damage when her emotions were in control of her body. Knowing this, she tapped into her poor mental health and replayed the security camera footage of Kagami's abduction in her mind like a movie until she entered a rage.
The tall man with cerulean eyes, a stapled face, Kagami being choked, blue flames…
Her eyes snapped wide open as Repel's usual scarlet aura flared to life with pure loathing fueling her throw. When the sound of her heartbeat in her ears faded and her breathing steadied, she turned to check on her results. A smile crossed her features as a relieved breath ghosted her lips.
Eight hundred metres.
.
.
The first day of school went by much quicker than Kazuya expected after Aizawa explained that there had been no real threat of expulsion. He didn't seem like the type to joke but this was possibly one of the best pranks she had seen. Regardless, she found lunch was the most uncomfortable part of the day. She had no one to sit with and most of the tables were already filled with chattering students.
Reaching into her pocket to try and grab her phone, the poor girl failed to realize that her tray was losing its balance in her other hand. By the time she noticed, it had already spilt all over some kid she was walking past.
"What the hell's wrong with you?!" the boy yelled, hair bursting into flames. Kazuya took a step back from the sudden heat and bumped into someone else behind her. In a matter of seconds, she managed to attract the attention of a handful of nearby students. She had never been the shy type but this was just plain embarrassing.
"Oh…um…look, I'm sorry about that — " Her attempts at keeping things peaceful were drowned out by the shouting of the flame-brain in front of her.
"Damn right you are! You ruined my shirt," his round face was almost as red as his burning hair.
"Dude, calm down," suggested one of the others at the table.
"I said I'm sorry. What do you want me to do? Clean your uniform?" Kazuya snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and dropping the kind façade she tried to hold all day. The unnerving look on the kid's face told her she didn't want to know the answer. Before she could back away, however, her arm was seized by a vice-like grip.
"As a matter of fact, I do," he sneered, "Pay up!" Thoroughly pissed off, Kazuya was ready to make this idiot's life shorter than her temper. That was until she spotted a head of indigo hair creeping up next to her.
"Let her go," Shinso snapped sharply, coming to her aid. Only she was able to see the animosity hidden in his smokey eyes.
"Not until she pays for my dry cleaning!" The bully tightened his grip just barely, but still enough to incur the wrath of her guard dog.
"Let. Her. Go."
Her arm was instantly released. Noticing the sudden haziness of the boy's eyes and his shrunken pupils, she knew Shinso had worked his brainwashing magic once again.
"Holy shit," the boy's friend simply watched with a stunned gaze.
Suddenly, Kazuya turned toward Shinso with an eager expression, "Can you make him break his own nose?"
"No," he looped his arm in with hers and pulled her out of the cafeteria.
"Why must you stop me from getting my sweet, sweet revenge?" she whined with pleading puppy-dog eyes. Shinso didn't look back at her and simply kept leading her around. When he didn't speak for a while, she grew worried.
"Where are we going anyway?"
No answer.
Sensing the tension, she allowed herself to be whisked away to a tree in the courtyard. They sat side by side under the shade and enjoyed the brief quietness that gave way to the trembling leaves in the trees. Just like in Junior High, Kazuya was unable to stay quiet for long.
"What's your deal?" she asked while gazing up at the passing clouds.
"My deal?" Shinso stopped to glare at her, "My deal is that you're picking fights on your first day."
"Well, he was an asshole. Would you rather I stand there and take his misogynistic bullshit?" she furrowed her azure brows.
"No, but don't kick in some loser's face without someone to back you up. I'm only looking out for you," Shinso sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Kazuya hummed thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I know," she smiled softly, "Thanks, 'Toshi." After a moment of silence, the tension in the air dispersed and the conversation felt normal again. "How are your classes?" she asked, watching him carefully from the corner of her eyes.
"Boring," brooded her indigo-haired buddy. It was hard to watch him sit and sulk, so she shifted her position until she was facing him.
"You know I'd switch with you if I could," her forehead creased at the sight of his poorly tied tie. Shinso shook his head as she reached for it but she continued anyway.
"You're here for a better reason than I am. I'm glad you got into heroics. Besides, I'll be joining you soon enough," as he spoke, she delicately adjusted his necktie with brows knit in concentration. Her mother taught her how to tie them after her father repeatedly failed to learn.
"I know you want to prove those idiots wrong. One way or another, you are going to make it happen, that much I know," Kazuya unconsciously rested her hand on Shinso's chest after finishing her adjustments. When she finally pulled away, she settled back into a more casual conversation. "Anyone caught your eye yet?" She elbowed him in the side. Shinso shrugged, back leaning against the tree they claimed.
"There are subtle hints of power. Then there are the show-offs like that kid back there. I'm sure it'll become more apparent who is and isn't fit to be in — "
"I meant relationship-wise, dummy," she laughed loudly, "Has the great Shinso Hitoshi got his eye on any interesting girls or boys?"
"You're impossible," Shinso rolled his tired eyes.
"It's bound to happen eventually. We're teenagers. Besides, I'm sure there's some damsel in distress waiting for you to save her," she tousled his hair and earned a frown in response. Shinso seemed like he was going to say something but she turned away before he could speak, attention caught by an approaching pair of students.
"Oh, hey guys!" she smiled warmly. Her closest friend instantly scrutinised her overly cheery tone, although he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he stared at the yellow-haired boy with the black lightning-shaped highlight and his red-headed pal that had interrupted.
"Hey, Imai. We saw what happened in the cafeteria and wanted to make sure everything was okay," Kaminari explained, hands casually in his pockets.
"Everything's just peachy! It was all a big misunderstanding," she clarified with a honeyed voice. Shinso threw her a look that ever so subtly asked her what the hell she was doing.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright. It wouldn't be manly to ignore something like that. Let us know if you need anything," Kirishima gave her a thumbs up. She felt Shinso tense up slightly at the sight of his sharp-toothed grin, but she rested her hand on his forearm and he relaxed again.
"Yeah, definitely! I'll see you guys back in class," she waved as the two walked away. The moment they were out of earshot, her bubbly personality deflated like a balloon.
"Just peachy? Since when do you say just peachy?" Shinso furrowed his brows.
"I've got to get on their good side somehow. I can't take another four years of fighting with my classmates, not when with so much on the line, and my relentless sarcasm isn't exactly a people-pleaser," Kazuya smirked to herself, gaze turned towards the sky.
"You shouldn't change because those old bullies made you feel like you didn't belong. You're fine the way you are," Shinso shook his head disappointedly. She knit her brows together and trailed her eyes down to her hands. They clenched into tight fists until they began to tremble and she released them.
"I'm not changing myself. I'm trying to get through this school year as quickly as possible so I can find Kagami. If that means acting like some sugary idiot, so be it," She tipped over, resting her head on Shinso's shoulder without looking at him. He tilted his to do the same, despite the worried frown on his face.
"If you say so…"
They finished their shared lunch and then returned to class to finish their last few lessons of the day. Kazuya wasn't bothered by her two-faced personality, although what Shinso said stuck with her. Was it wrong of her to assume things wouldn't change as they grew up?
Hadn't they already?
Surprisingly, theend of the day came much sooner than expected. The class was allotted a good ten minutes towards the end of their final period to mingle. Kazuya sat back and surveyed everyone from a distance. Her father had always told her to conduct experiments from a safe distance and this felt more or less the same.
She caught on to a few last names and personality types while watching everyone else chat, but one student, in particular, stood out to her. The half-and-half boy she locked eyes with during their assessments was looking her way again. While trying to figure out why she thought him so familiar, she began to unconsciously glare at the poor boy. It wasn't until the bell rang that she looked away.
Muttering to herself about not wanting to walk, Kazuya pulled out her phone and dialled her dad's cell in hopes of getting a ride home. When it went straight to voicemail, she huffed and rang her mother instead. Another missed call meant she was probably working. Who knew professional party planners could be so busy?
Somewhat dejected, Kazuya gathered her things and made her way out the door. One long walk and two train rides later, she arrived at her house. Her senses went on high alert at the sight of a very out-of-place man standing on her porch.
"Please don't smoke on our property," she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. The grey-haired fellow turned to face her with a smile she learned to associate with skeevy businessmen.
"My apologies, young lady. I'm looking for a Doctor Imai Taigen," he explained while putting out his cigarette. Behind his tinted circular glasses were rose-coloured eyes that Kazuya instantly found deceitful. The vibes were very much off with this one.
"He's not home right now," she took a few steps closer to the man while discreetly unstrapping one of her gloves.
"Care to take a message, then?" the man smirked once again, revealing his one missing tooth, "Tell him that a new position has come to my attention and I think he'd be the perfect fit. It is a group project, so I hope he can play nice."
"Message received, now please leave or the authorities will be called," Kazuya ordered sternly. Her threat was met with a raspy laugh as the stranger held his hands up in surrender.
"Alright, alright. No need to get bossy. I'll be going now. Make sure to tell him Giran stopped by," he gave her a wink and then disappeared down the street.
"What the hell, Dad…?" she confusedly mumbled to herself as she entered her house, making sure to lock every door and window inside.